Barca’s front three bring back memories of MSN days

Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images

Superb performance

Barcelona’s absolute destruction of Borussia Dortmund was surely beyond everyone’s wildest dreams.

There were always likely to be goals but as the Bundesliga outfit showed in the league game earlier this season, they were just as capable of finding the back of the net as the Blaugranes.

On the night the Catalans wouldn’t be denied, though Dortmund were their own worst enemy as they lost the ball time and again allowing Barca to profit.

Robert Lewandowski’s brace against one of his old clubs took his total for the season in all competitions to an astonishing 40 goals, whilst Pau Cubarsi received an apology from Raphinha after the Brazilian got his name on the scoresheet when there was really no need.

Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images

Once Lamine Yamal fired home an exquisite fourth, all of the front three had got their name up in lights and, whisper it quietly, showed finishing ability and inter play that harked back to the era of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

There’ll never be another MSN of course, though there’s certainly a conversation to be had as to whether this is the best front three that Barca have had since the 2015 vintage.

All three offer a mixture of power, pace goals and no little skill, and are always willing runners for their colleagues.

It’s perhaps the hard work and incessant desire of the trio that marks them out amongst their contemporaries.

Goals win games and that’s their currency, but Hansi Flick also has them earning their wages - and that element of their game is understated.

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So dominant was their performance too that Barcelona will almost certainly be most neutrals’ favourites to go all the way in the competition.

In order to do just that, Barca will have to keep up the level of performance that simply blew away a BVB side that were dogged and determined but when it was time to execute fell well short of expectations.

Unless the Blaugranes collapse in the same way that Paris Saint-Germain did back in 2017 against them, then a semi-final berth for Barca is assured.

Unbeaten in 23 games in all competitions in the calendar year, it would be a brave man to bet against them at this point.

With confidence oozing from every pore, as long as Hansi Flick maintains a solid defensive platform, he can rely on his brilliant front three to deliver the goods.

Source: barcablaugranes.com